君は一人じゃない You are not Alone
by Ishikawa Yui
Summary: AU Allen Walker was an outcast in school, with no friends. His horrible and tragic life takes a drastic turn when he meets Lavi, the most popular student in school. Allen/Lavi I suck at summaries. R/R please!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own D.Gray-man.**

**In this story, Allen is 15, Lenalee is 16 and Lavi is 17. The rest of the DGm crew will not make an appearance till further notice.**

**Lenalee has long hair, but it will not be tied up into two ponytails. Instead, they are let down throughout the whole story. I like it that way.**

**This is my first story, so please do not flame me.**

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"Class, can anyone tell me what 'DNA' stands for?"

Lavi's hand immediately shot up, followed by a few other students'. Allen raised his hand too, but found himself putting it down as quickly as he raised it up. He had read on it a long time ago, when Mana was around.

Allen found himself dozing off during lessons these days, what with a tough and schedule of part-time jobs, so much so that he became unsure whether all the answers he gave were right or not.

The teacher noticed Allen and called him to answer. Allen immediately stood up, but could not answer. A few students in the front rows turned around and sniggered. Allen continued standing, looking down embarrassedly.

The teacher wrote "DEO" on the blackboard, hinting the white-haired teen.

_Deoxyribonucleic acid, it has to be Deoxyribonucleic acid!_ thought Allen, his heart thundering nervously. However, he gave no answer.

The teacher sighed disappointedly and called Lavi to answer. Lavi stood up, smiling one of his wannabe-smile, and answered.

"That would be 'Deoxyribonucleic acid', sir."

The teacher nodded in approval and loud whistling and applauses could be heard. The teacher signaled the class to settle down and carried on with his lessons. Allen heaved a heavy sigh and rested his head on his shoulders, discouraged. He nearly dozed off again when a few paper balls hit his head. Allen looked up only to earn sniggers.

-A-

The bell rang. The teacher assigned some homework, and dismissed the class. Everyone opened their drawers and packed away their notebook, pen case and science textbook hurriedly. However, before they left the teacher coughed, cleared his throat, and said,

"Before you leave, I would like to remind everybody that tomorrow is the annual 'Universe festival'. Please observe the stars, as we are going to study Cosmology next week."

A few students laughed, while others ignored him. Everyone bowed and thanked the teacher, and quickly left the science laboratory to enjoy their weekends.

-L-

Allen walked down the corridor hurriedly. He slowed down when he spotted Lavi surrounded by a crowd of students, chattering away excitedly probably about the Universe festival. A pretty Chinese girl with gorgeous long hair which was let down was walking briskly towards Lavi, carrying a few books in her arms. The crowd made way. The girl smiled, and Lavi laughed, and soon, the exciting chatter continued. Allen suddenly stopped in his tracks, a feeling of sadness and jealousy enveloping him.

If only he could join them and talk to Lavi…

Allen shook his head. That will definitely not happen in a million years.

Lavi was the shining star, the 'king', the ace of this elite school, where only rich people enrol. Lavi was gifted with looks, brains and a kind personality. He was an athlete too. Everybody wanted to be his friend, even the teachers. His grandfather was a famous historian, and his father was a billionaire, who made hordes of money through stocks.

And so was Lenalee, the pretty Chinese girl, who was rumoured to be Lavi's girlfriend. She was the 'queen' of the school, and was only a year older than Allen.

Allen was the outcast, the 'joker', the bimbo, the loser, the idiot or whatever they call him. He was severely poor; however, with the help of his beloved foster father, Mana Walker, who went missing when he enrolled into this school, he had managed to get a six-year scholarship at the age of ten. He was athletically-talented too, just that there were very few opportunity to display it. He was now studying in Year 5, with all the other seventeen-year-olds.

Allen's school uniform was tattered, although he had just bought a new one just a week ago with his hard-earned money. He wore an old mitten on his left hand, which barely helped cover his disgusting left hand. He was too poor to afford gloves.

A gang of girls walked past Allen, trying very hard to ignore him. One of them accidentally knocked (more like brushed past) into his left hand, and screamed. The horrified girls surrounded her and walked briskly away.

"OMG, what sort of monster is he?"

"Yes, I know!"

"I swear, from far, I thought he was the school janitor!"

"And did you see that ugly scar?"

"Rumors have it that he killed his father with his left hand, and it never moved again."

"He's cursed, I'm telling you."

Allen lowered his silver-grey eyes as he let all those words bite him. It was true. His crimson left arm never moved at all, since he was born.

On the morning of Year 1 orientation, Allen's nightmare began. He woke up in a pool of blood, with a sharp pain in his left eye, gripping a blood-stained kitchen knife in his left hand, _which never moved once in his entire life._

Allen could still remember that day crystal clear.

Trembling like a wet puppy, he pried off the horrifying knife using his small right hand and called Mana several times, but did not receive any answer. He searched through the whole house, which was in a state, but could not find him. Looking in a cracked mirror, he realized that his hair had turned from brown to white, and a gruesome scar planted in his left eye.

In the end, he was three hours late for school, missed the orientation, was punished and was immediately picked by the students, who were all three years older than him. He ran out into the streets when he realised with a shock that Mana was still not back yet.

Mana never came back. Allen still could not remember what had happened the night before the orientation, no matter how much he pondered. He was now in the care of a reckless red-haired guy named Cross Marian, who picked him up in the streets and returned him home.

Allen snapped out when he caught Lavi, Lenalee and the crowd of students all staring at him strangely. Allen's face turned a bright red and he tore off the corridor. The crowd of students and Lenalee laughed. However, they immediately stopped when they realised that Lavi was glaring at them angrily.

He broke off from the crowd and stalked away, leaving the crowd of students including Lenalee confused.

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**Although this story had started in a tragic and boring note, it will get interesting as it progresses. I hope.**

**Please review, and send Allen your love. Also, suggestions for the school's name are always welcomed.**

**Thank you for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heyys. Sorry for the ultra-mega-super long update. It took me a century to write this (I feel horrible T.T)**

**First of all, I would like to send my gratitude to all readers who even bothered to read this story. Especially those who reviewed :D Cadbury milk chocolates to you guys, hope you like it.**

**Thank you very much. (To p power: I love cookies, sankyuu!! – I meant thank you :) )**

**But what really touched me was the overwhelming number of readers who sent Allen their love, sentiments and encouragements. I am one hundred per cent sure he'll be immensely touched, maybe moved to tears? Allen is loved xD**

**Okay, enough of me talking, let's get on with the story. DISCLAIMER: I do not own D.Gray-man**

**This chapter is pretty weak and messy, hope you don't mind.**

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**Saturday, Universe Festival, 6pm**

Allen wandered aimlessly through the paved-streets of a particular town which was bustling with preparation for the upcoming "Universe Festival" celebrations. Never had he felt so lost… and devastated.

He was fired from one of the most crucial jobs which helped him manage one of his heaviest burdens in his life: that demon's ridiculous debts. And the 'friendly people' came barging into his house this morning for the money which Allen himself supposedly owed.

_Talk about perfect timing._

It seems that Cross Marian, Allen's new guardian aka his "new dad", desperate for more money to squander, traveled all the way to his working place three hours earlier just to get Allen fired and collect his wages.

Allen's body was sore with the bruises he had acquired this morning but despite feeling overwhelmingly tired, he continued to trudge on.

What was he going to do now? How was he going to pay up that seven (nearing eight)-digit debt which had accumulated over the years? Allen felt as if his life was hanging dangerously at the edge of a cliff. An unbearable school life, a huge debt, the mysterious disappearance of Mana, Sir Cross, and discrimination. One more misfortune, he might plunge down and never come back.

_Let's just end this._ Said a persuasive voice in his head for the thousandth time. _Why bother putting up with so many burdens and misery??_

Allen had walked out of the small town, and was now standing right in front of a sparkling river which looked fairly deep. It was evident that the current was quite strong, perhaps strong enough drown someone.

_Yes, why bother putting up with all these?_ Allen stared down the river. He took a step closer...and another, and another, till he reached the very edge of the restless river.

_Why?_ He demanded.

**Don't stop, and keep walking, no matter what.**

Realisation dawned on Allen as these words reverberated in his head.

_That's right._ Allen lifted his silver-grey orbs to the blushing sky. _I won't stop, and keep walking, no matter what. That's the promise I've made with you, Mana. I'll never let you down._

Allen walked away from the river, his spirits suddenly lifting up.

**I will keep walking.**

XXX

The river was getting crowded with townsfolk both young and old. The festival was going to start any moment now. A few stars could already be seen glittering in the darkening sky, and soon enough, millions of others would join them, providing the townsfolk with a spectacular view. These tiny stars would not be dotted everywhere but instead, would cluster together to form a 'river', like the Milky 

Way, stretching out far, far away. Each year, the townsfolk would celebrate under this rare beauty which could only be sighted once a year.

Allen sighed for the umpteenth time as he returned to the exact same spot of the river. Finding jobs was no easy task. Nobody wanted to hire him in the first place, despite knowing that he was capable of doing whatever tasks he was assigned to do.

"Hey Walker!" someone shouted.

Allen curiously turned his head towards the direction where the shout came from, just to be greeted by a rock as large as his palm hurling towards him. Allen reacted just in time; the rock only left him a deep cut on his cheek.

Cold laughter erupted not very far away. The rock which was deliberately hurled towards him came from a group of guys whom Allen recognized as his "classmates". Just as Allen have dreaded, they approached him.

"Yo, what are you doing here? Shouldn't freaks like you be in the circus??" more laughter. Allen frowned. Suddenly, he felt a huge blow from his back.

"Ugh." Allen collapsed on the hard pavement. The group walked off, laughing all the more.

Allen balled his right hand into a tight fist as he sat up, anger swelling up in him. He hit the ground with all his might, until it turned a deep red. How long was he going to let other people trample over him?? Allen wanted the answer immediately.

Fuming, he stalked off into the elaborately-decorated town to find jobs again.

Little did he know that a strange old man was following him.

XXX

Allen knew very well that almost all the shops in the town would be closed at this point of time, in view of "Universe festival", so he decided to try out the pubs.

Just as he was racking his brains to recall where the pubs were, he heard a ghostly whisper.

_"Hey Kiddo…"_

Allen jumped in fright. He slowly turned his head to see a tanned old man who looked around sixty, with tufts of silver hair sticking out everywhere, scrutinizing him in the most uncomfortable manner. He wore a smart tuxedo and carried a tiny black suitcase with an emblem crafted on it.

"Hmmm… not bad…" the old man stroked his chin.

"G-good evening." Allen bowed awkwardly. The old man continued scrutinizing him in that creepy manner for a few more minutes. Suddenly, his grayish-black eyes lit up very brightly and he snapped his fingers.

"Okay, I choose YOU!" he exclaimed in a weird accent

"Pardon?" Allen gulped.

"YOU! Yes YOU! Help me deeliiver this!!" the strange man shoved the suitcase into Allen's hands.

"Um…"

"Yes, yes, please deliver this to, um, Sir Malcom. C – who was that again? Hold on –" the old man started mumbling words to himself, as he tried recalling who that suitcase was supposed to be delivered to.

"C—C—Le…?" before he could even finish, a big flash of black barged into them. Before they knew it, the suitcase was out of sight. It was stolen.

The old man screamed hysterically, pulling his hair tightly, the sight of the missing suitcase nearly making him faint.

"Well what are you waiting for?? RETRIEVE THE SUITCASE!!" he shrieked, shaking Allen roughly by his shoulders. Allen, amidst the dizizness, finally managed to break off from this crazed old man and tore off the thief frantically.

"Oh Wait WAIT!"

Allen turned his head back, a small vein throbbing in his head. This is getting rather annoying…

A huge bundle of ten-pound notes was flung towards him, and Allen caught it neatly with his active right hand. He halted, staring from the stack of green to the stranger, disbelief and surprise written all over his face.

"Don't just stand there, boy! That suitcase contains top-secret stuff which could easily endanger the world if not handed to the right person!! THE WORLD'S FATE LIES IN YOUR HANDS!!"

Allen was even more confused now.

"Just GO! GO GO GO!" the man waved and pointed frantically. Allen nodded and tore off after the thief.

"And remember: deliver the suitcase to Sir Malcom. C. Leverrier when you retrieve it! We're all counting on you, kid!!"

XXX

Allen easily gained up on the dumbfounded thief, who could not imagine how in the world that scrawny boy could even catch up with him, in a matter of a few minutes.

It was a wild chase. The thief zigzagged through streets, turning from corner to corner, until Allen eventually lost him. Allen halted, panting very hard as his sharp eyes darted from left to right. Finally, he spotted him again, sprinting through a narrow alley not far away.

Allen bolted after him, but lost him again when he entered the alley. It was pitch darkness in there.

Allen took a deep breath and boldly ventured further in to the alley, prickling his ears and peering around cautiously for signs of the thief.

"Oi."

It was that thief, with a gang of three other tough-looking men. The thief appeared to be twice tougher and meaner than them, and he was throwing a cream-colored ball with many dirt marks on it, throwing it up and down agitatedly. They looked very displeased.

Allen gulped. He was obviously in grave danger.

They took a step towards him and Allen took a step back.

"Um…may I have the suitcase back…please?" Allen mustered up all his courage to say this. The thief threw the ball with such force at Allen that Allen stumbled to the ground.

"What the FXCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT KID??" the thief yelled. "Trash like you irritate me no end."

He noticed the stack of notes in his right hand and signaled his men. One of them approached Allen and kicked him hard, snatching it.

"Check his pockets." The thief ordered.

Allen breathed sharply, his whole body shaking into pieces.

_No…no…_ he backed away.

_HELP_

Suddenly, the same ball was thrown twice as hard on the thief's head.

"Stop." He ordered, glaring at the "idiot" who did that. The gang's attention was diverted to a certain redhead, whose face was silhouetted in the dim lamplight.

Allen's eyes grew as wide as saucepans.

"No way…"

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**And so ends this ridiculous chapter. I told you it was messy -.-" I had to take six major exam papers in a row last week, and all my brain cells were completely wiped off by the time I wrote this chapter, so sorry if it were sucky. You may flame, if you like.**

**Just to add on from A/N (on top) I think I forgot to mention those who gave suggestions for the school's name. Thanks a million!! XDDD**

**Although I still can't decide on the name T.T I'm not good at naming things, even the town isn't named. Anyways, I'm still taking in suggestions, so fire on.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated. Things should be looking up from Chapter 3 onwards.**

**Thank you for reading :)**

**P.S It's Lavi's birthday this Sunday (10 August). Happy Birthday Lavi!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again :) Another update which took forever T.T**

**I do not and will never own D.Gray-man!**

**And this chapter is dedicated to these wonderful people!!**

**iceflakes, Allenscrazyfangirl, rizenmad, Moon-Dash, Toraus, DarkDragonRhapsody, !, shiinaanobaka, SharinganJ, chaos key, sarahstoletheworld, Lirre13, shadows.salvation, p power, R.eally I.nconvenient N.otice, Ask the Lonely, HiurSena fan 2.0, Yugikitten, Rizano, Feathery Fear, Plain.Game, Nella-from-the-batcave, measama, SilentKiller1, Evil Snail Overlord, Me want more, byebyebyrdie, Akwon, Danyble-Haine, Dgm-yaoi-lover and ALL readers!!**

**Thank you so much!! You people make my day XD**

**Do keep in mind that Allen's left arm (including the hand) is totally inactive, as in, it can't move at all, as you read this story. **

**Hope you'll enjoy it and happy reading!**

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君は一人じゃない

kimi wa hitori janai

You are not Alone

Chapter 3

"No way…"

Allen stared and stared at the tall figure that stood silently at the mouth of the narrow alley.

_Lavi…? But why?_

There was something strangely different about him. The guy standing there was not the usual cheerful and friendly Lavi who won over the hearts of many people with his brilliant smile, but was someone entirely different. This Lavi's presence was cold, unwelcoming and terrifying, nothing of the Lavi Allen knew of since he enrolled into the prestigious school. No emotion was evident in his face.

"Who the fxcking hell are you?" the thief snarled. The redhead silently approached him, ignoring his question.

"AAH?"

Without a word, Lavi punched the thief in the face with such force that it sent him crashing onto the hard pavement, knocking his senses out. The other two men paled, seeing their leader knocked down just in one blow. Nevertheless, one of them attempted to beat Lavi but to no avail. Lavi was too strong, and the guy was knocked down as fast as his leader.

Suddenly, Lavi felt a chill run down his spine as he felt the cold metal tip of something touch his head. It was a pistol. The other man took the chance while Lavi bashed his partner.

"Don't move." He whispered. Lavi froze; his face remained stoic though, showing not a trace of agitation or fear of any kind. The man's face stretched into a wide grin as he observed Lavi with bloodshot eyes.

"I know you! You are the son of that billionaire! Imagine how much money I can make with your dead body…I will deliver it once they start searching for you, hehehe." the man croaked, snickering. Lavi felt really tempted to roll his uncovered eye. Such an idiot…

A distinct clicking sound was heard.

"Goodbye."

Lavi wanted to kick him hard and knock him unconscious before the fool did anything, but was stopped by someone, someone approaching really fast, with his fist raised...

The man was disrupted too. He caught the fist and flung it away furiously. The white-haired boy retaliated, but the man kicked him hard in the stomach and he staggered back, coughing out a little bit of blood as he clutched his stomach tightly and held onto the brick wall for support.

The man was completely distracted, so Lavi, without hesitation, bashed him up too. By then, the thief and the other man had recovered they quickly hauled up their bleeding member and fled, casting a reproachful look at Lavi.

Lavi glared back and let out a huge sigh. He then directed his attention to Allen, who was in a terrible state. He was on his knees now, coughing every now and then, small droplets of blood splattering onto the ground. He was shivering a lot, and was hugging his stomach as he breathed sharply.

Lavi felt grieved as he watched Allen suffering like this, and ignoring the fact that it was very dark now and his "friends" were waiting and had probably gone home, he cautiously approached Allen, taking off his expensive jacket as he did so.

He knelt down in front of Allen and gently wrapped it around him, and rubbed his back soothingly after doing so. Silent minutes went by, Allen had finally calmed down, and the coughing ceased. His knees were drawn to his chest now, his head buried in them. His heart ached guitily as his mind registered that it was indeed the end of the world since the suitcase and the money were both gone, both in the wrong hands. He wanted to sob but the tears never came, it just hurt a lot inside.

Lavi looked at him with eyes full of concern, wondering what he could do to cheer the younger teen up. He knew that Allen was a wonderful person deep inside, and it always pained him to see him receiving all those shitty treatment which made him into what he was now today: quiet, shy and depressed.

"Walker?" Lavi asked gently. "Could you accompany me somewhere, if you don't mind?"

No response.

"I promise that nobody is going to bother or hurt you over there, it'll be just the two of us. And it's a beautiful place, you'll love it." Lavi continued.

Allen hugged his knees even tighter.

"Please? I want somebody to accompany me, and that would be you. I want you."

Allen could feel his heart banging loudly in his chest, a blush creeping up his face.

_This can't be happening! It must be some sort of a dream. No, this can never happen, never, never… _

Before the white-haired teen knew it, the redhead was prying his reluctant arm from his knees.

"Alright?" Lavi asked once more. Allen slowly lifted his face up, shyly peeking at Lavi's face, and quickly looked down as he met his smiling eye, hiding a blush. Reluctantly, he stood up, wobbling a little as he did so.

"Now that's the spirit. Come on, let's go." Lavi led the way, taking hold of Allen's ugly left hand which was covered in the worn mitten, thankfully, as he did so.

It had been years since Allen felt warmth and someone's reassuring heartbeat in his cold, wretched hand. He gazed at it with sheer happiness as he plodded behind Lavi, wrapped warmly in his jacket.

XXX

The hill was steep, the path was narrow and twisted, and the climb was arduous. In order to get to the place which Lavi was talking about, they had to go across the river by crossing an old bridge. By then, the celebrations had already ended and most of the townsfolk had already left, so Allen and Lavi were left in peace.

"We are nearly there…take your time, it's alright." Lavi said as he halted for the umpteenth time for Allen to catch his breath. Lavi understood that Allen was exhausted; he caught glimpses of his face as they walked under street lamps. His face was quite pale; his soft grey eyes were drooping a little, and faint eye bags visible underneath them. He did not look too well… and sad, like something was bothering him.

Allen started walking again, and the two continued their ascent.

"And we are here!" Lavi said in a cheerful tone. Allen glanced around wearily. They were standing on a large area of grass which was surrounded by tall trees. It over- looked a field of black which seemed to have no end at all. There was nothing significant or beautiful about this place at all.

Lavi sat on the grass and lay down, inviting Allen to do the same. Allen nodded a little, but he sat quite a distance away from him, staring at the empty darkness.

Silent minutes passed again, and Allen felt as though he were swallowed up into the darkness when someone's hand was gently placed upon his shoulder.

Allen let out a startled gasp as he turned his head to see Lavi.

"Hey, you're bleeding."

Allen's hand instinctively went up to the deep cut on his right which he had obtained previously from his "classmates" and felt a sharp pain as he did so. He also realized that it was wet.

"Come, let me fix that." Allen suddenly felt himself being pulled closer to Lavi and before he knew it, Lavi was wiping his cheek with his shirt.

"N-no, it's okay, please stop!" Allen struggled with all his might but Lavi held him firmly.

"No it's not. Just keep still, will you?" Lavi dabbed his cheek lightly a few more times before bandaging the cut neatly.

"There." He patted Allen's head, grinning. Allen stroked the bandage thoughtfully, smiling a little. Lavi felt immensely happy, and added on,

"Mind if I ask you one more favor? Close your eyes. No peeking okay?"

Allen considered this for a moment or two before shutting his eyes tight. He felt his tensed body slowly being pushed down onto the soft grass.

"Alright, you can open them now."

Allen opened them and was immediately struck dumb. There were millions of tiny stars, all twinkling and glittering, covering the whole sky. It was as if the universe was greeting him.

"Wow…" he could not help but say that as he continued gazing at the stars, completely mesmerized by the beauty of it all. He felt strangely happy, light and comfortable, all his worries vanishing into thin air. A soft breeze caressed him, the trees rustled softly, and Allen found himself slowly lulled to sleep. He fought really hard to stay awake, not wanting to miss this sight for another second and to sleep in the presence of Lavi.

"This is the only day where you can see the stars gathering like that. On other days they will be scattered all over the place." Lavi lay beside Allen, explaining. Allen was too absorbed and drowsy to be bothered by that.

"Hey Walker, I'm glad that you've decided to accompany me here today, even though we've sort of just met. I always felt lonely each year. And...and thanks for saving me, you are really wonderful." Lavi turned to say all thewe to Allen only to find him sleeping soundly beside him. Lavi chuckled, though was now at a lost of what to do. He did not know where Allen lived and neither was he going to leave him nor spend the night with him here.

So he gently lifted him off the ground, so as not to wake him, and carried the sleeping boy home bridal style, glad that his gramps and stepfather were both away and would not come back for quite a while.

XXX

_When was the last time I had company in that empty, over-sized house?_ Lavi wondered as he silently made his way home. _Maybe when Yu was around._

Lavi smiled as he gazed at Allen's sleeping face once more.

_Tomorrow, he shalll be treated like an Emperor._

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**I think I screwed the chapter again. Oh my goodness…**

**I'm only allowed on the computer only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays now since my Final Year Exams are coming, so I think updates will take longer.**

**I would like to once again thank those who suggested names for the school and gave me advices from the bottom of my heart.**

**My friends were suggesting names like Black Institution and Crown Academy and I thought they weren't so bad.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! And if you don't mind, may I ask another favor? Please help me decide between those two names -laughs nervously-. Sorry for making such a big deal out of that. I'll explain more about the school as the story progresses because right now, that's not important.**

**Thank you for reading!! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for waiting VERY patiently for this chapter. Exams are finally over, updates are going to be faster! Yay!**

**Presenting chapter 4 to you, hope you'll enjoy it. **

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**Sunday**

"Hn…" Allen groggily opened his eyes, his vision a blur. He felt as if he had slept for two whole days.

He blinked in confusion as he realized that he was lying on a large bed with extra-soft pillows, and a warm blanket fully covered him, making him feel comfortable and snug.

Hastily, the fifteen-year-old sat up, and was baffled to see expensive furniture, paintings and ornaments all around him.

_Where am I? _he thought as he scanned the unfamiliar room again and again, starting to feel alarmed, if not frightened.

"No, I can't, stop…"

Allen nearly jumped out of bed. He darted his eyes to the source, and realized Lavi was at the bedside, his head resting on his arms, fast asleep.

"La-Lavi!?" Allen exclaimed in surprise. If you looked closer, there was a huge, thick book with red binding squashed under his arms.

"Mmmnnn…uh…?" Lavi's exposed eye flew open. "Oh hey, you're awake…I mean, morning…had a good sleep?" he lifted his head, yawning and stretching his arms. He gazed sleepily at Allen for a few seconds before his eye grew wide.

"Wha! What happened to your hair at the back? They're all standing up like Finxl Fantxsy!"

"Ah!" Allen started combing his hair frantically with his hand, his face red with embarrassment. Lavi watched him amusedly.

"Allen." Allen turned his attention towards Lavi, a little taken back that someone actually called him by his first name instead of other horrible ones. It was the first time he saw Lavi's hair let down, covering his mysterious right eye. He actually looked kinder and more natural this way.

"Your name's 'Allen', right?" Lavi said as he took out a thick stack of papers.

"Hey, those are…"

"Your bills?" Lavi inquired as he scanned through them. "Romane Conti (1)…Chivas Regal (2)…expensive dines and pubs and what? Women!? Woah, I never expected you to be this indulgent, Allen Walker."

"Those are not mine! They are Sir Cross's!!" Allen said furiously as he tried grabbing the stack of papers from Lavi.

"Course not." Lavi grinned as he pulled them away from Allen's clutches just in time. "Anyways, you won't need these anymore."

To Allen's shock and horror, Lavi started ripping them up into bits and pieces. As if reading the trembling boy's mind, Lavi assured Allen, saying, "Don't worry, I paid for them."

Allen stared blankly Lavi for a few seconds, before he managed to utter, "You did…?"

"Yeah. You must have had a hard time yesterday, what with all those money and an important-looking suitcase stolen. But don't worry, a good friend of mine is working on retrieving it. All I need is details from you."

Allen could not believe what he was hearing, but he managed to reply, "It is a black suitcase with some sort of emblem on it…and I was told to deliver it to Mr. um…Malcom.C.Leverrier."

"Oh." for a second, Allen saw Lavi's lively emerald-green eye dim, turning cold and emotionless. Just for a mere second. His eyes could be playing tricks on him.

"So." Lavi snapped the book shut. "Here's the deal. Today you shall be my guest-of-honor, Allen. And I'm pretty sure you already know my name but just for the sake of being formal." he extended his hand.

"Lavi Bookman. Some call me 'Junior', too. Pleased to meet you, Allen Walker." he smiled warmly.

Allen blinked and stared at the blankly for a while before he shook it, his left hand well-hidden from view.

"Right, we better get you changed out of those pajamas first…"

Lavi was interrupted by knockings on the door.

"Come in." he said.

A young maid not much older than Allen came in, carrying a broom.

"Um, Master, lunch is ready for both you and… the guest." she stared awkwardly at Allen for a while before Lavi coughed and she hastily diverted her attention.

"Alright. Could you also bring up a set of clothes which I ordered from my room? You can find them on my bed."

"Okay… I mean yes, Master." she turned to leave when she tripped over her broom, and was later found swearing quite loudly before she excused herself and left.

"She's new." Lavi explained. Allen nodded, indicating that he understood.

"What's wrong, Allen? I'm sorry about my employee's attitude towards you." Lavi seated himself at the edge of the bed as he eyed Allen concernedly.

"It's not that. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble." Allen apologized. He felt guilty for sleeping in a house that belonged to not just anyone but Lavi's, furthermore till noon and later get treated to lunch.

"Huh? You aren't troubling me at all, Allen. In fact, I'm actually glad doing this." Lavi's lips stretched into a broad smile as he started ruffling Allen's hair. Allen felt both relieved and startled hearing this and eased up a little as Lavi started telling him jokes and stories until the clothes arrived.

XXX

Allen was given new clothes to wear and was served a huge lunch (to his delight) and he ate like he had never eaten before. Lavi admired him more as not only was he polite in nature, he had table manners too, even though he ate heaps of food at one go. Furthermore, he would listen attentively to whatever stories or jokes he told.

Usually, it was the reverse in school. People he knew or even strangers would always approach him (before he could even approach anyone) and they either start ranting or gossiping, and out of sincerity Lavi would listen to them and often gave feedback. They did not realize, however, that they never really gave Lavi a chance to talk.

Lavi was not particularly bothered by this, but sometimes he wished someone would at least listen. In the past, he had haunting thoughts that he was some sort of a 'tool' to gain popularity but as he grew older, he settled his mind once and for all that that was pure nonsense.

They were in Lavi's spacious yet simple room now, just having finished an apple and raisin dip pie. They sat in silence on Lavi's huge bed, Allen, with Lavi's permission, fiddled with a pink soft toy bunny with puffy cheeks and a tongue cheekily sticking out. Allen felt that it was odd for someone like Lavi to own it.

"Its name is Yoshi." Lavi said as Allen passed the bunny back to him. "Yu-chan made it for me."

"Yu…?"

"Yep. He is my childhood friend, who went to study abroad when we were twelve. It was a farewell gift from him, although he insisted that it was trash which he wanted to discard." Lavi smiled at the memory. "I miss him a lot."

"Was he nice?" Allen asked.

"Maybe." Lavi shrugged. "He is this tough guy who would always throw a sour look at everyone and never lets his guard down. He's not so bad once you get to know him. He taught me how to fight, too. I was shocked when I found out that someone er…manly and destructive like him to be excellent in sewing and art, but I guess it's not surprising since he lived with Mr. Tiedoll when he was here."

"He lived with our art teacher?" Allen gasped.

"Yeah, Mr. Tiedoll was his father's friend." Lavi chuckled. "Which reminds me…"

Lavi went over to a wooden drawer and took out a strip of red cloth, and leant over to Allen and tied a neat ribbon at his shirt's collar. It suited well with his white shirt and navy blue vest. Allen blushed lightly as he looked at the ribbon.

"You look so much better." Lavi grinned, patting his shoulder. An anxious and puzzled look crossed Allen's face.

"Lavi, why are you this nice to me?" Allen questioned.

"Why not? You're my guest-of-honor." Lavi replied as if this was obvious.

"But I'm… weird." Allen continued painfully. "I have white hair at this age… and this scar..."

"But I like your hair." Lavi emphasized. Allen did not look convinced.

"**It was the most beautiful thing under the starlight…"** Lavi murmured as he absent-mindedly lifted locks of Allen's hair and let them fall. Allen's heart skipped a beat when he heard that.

"Anyways, I don't judge a book by its cover and personally, I felt that you are a wonderful person. And it's amazing that you got to study in this school through scholarship and that you are studying in the same year as me even though you are two years younger.**(Lavi is seventeen and Allen is fifteen in this story)**"

Allen nodded, feeling relieved. But this relief vanished immediately when Lavi asked him about his left hand.

Allen covered it nervously with his right hand, seeing that the mitten was gone.

"I know it's personal, but do you mind if I take a look at it?" Lavi asked.

"NO!" Allen shouted, his eyes full of fear as Lavi edged over and reached out his hand. Lavi pulled back his hand and pleaded once more.

After much consideration, Allen slowly lifted his right hand from his left and explained quietly to Lavi that his whole left arm was paralyzed, so Lavi had to move over to his left in order to see it.

Lavi did not do that, he boldly reached out and lifted it. Allen looked away; knowing fully that Lavi would surely reject him after seeing it. Lavi widened his eye when he saw the bloody red hand with long black nails. It was full of wrinkles and they were concentrated particularly on a cross-shaped crystal engraved in it. He had to admit that it was the ugliest, most revolting and grotesque thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

An awkward silence hung between them. Lavi stared and stared at it, not knowing what to say. Finally, Allen broke into tears. He wanted to pull his left hand away but could not, since it was paralyzed. This was it. He was rejected, despised by the nicest person he had ever known and probably his first friend.

He was caught off-guard when Lavi pulled him into a tight hug. Allen sobbed silently, gritting his teeth as he tried wiping his tears away with all his might. Shocked, confused and above all, relieved and happy. These mix of emotions swept over him as he felt warmth.

"You went through too much." Lavi murmured, as he rubbed Allen's back soothingly.

Was it his imagination? Allen felt something wet on his shoulder. This small patch of dampness was warm, but grew cold in an instance. It was made by a tear. Did Lavi just shed a tear?

**End of chapter 4/continued in chapter 5**

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(1) -- Romane Conti: The Romane Conti is a **rare wine** that has carved a niche for itself along the years. At over fifteen hundred dollars a bottle, it no longer has anything to prove. Consistently, the Romane Conti fetches prices around the thousand dollar mark no matter the vintage. (Source/top10/entertainment/52btop10list.html)

(2) -- Chivas Regal: Chivas Regal is one of the **best selling premium whiskies in the world**, available in over 200 countries. (Source: en./wiki/ChivasRegal)

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**After writing and re-reading this I felt that both Allen and Lavi were out of character and this chapter was a bit rushed. I apologize for that.**

**It has been decided that the school's name is Crown Academy! Thanks a bunch for all your suggestions and support! :D**

**Special thanks to: Dgm-yoai-lover, KinKitsune01, AnimeFanAmber , seaturtlesrox , YugiKitten, Ask the Lonely, BlueFox of the Moon, SakuraKissy, DarkDragonRhapsody, Kiminaru, Kiracookies, SweetDevilzEyez, Miwa, Arid-Existence and ****all subscribers**** (P.S Sorry if I get any of your names wrong) **

**Please review, they are greatly appreciated!**

**-Thank you for reading!! ;D -**

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D.Gray-man (c) Katsura Hoshino


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